Edith Pope was born in St. Augustine, Florida, on July 23, 1905. Her parents were Florence and A.M. Taylor, a local banker and Florida state senator. After attending the Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, she matriculated to the Florida State College for Women, now Florida State University. She received a B.A. degree in 1928, and a M.A. degree from Columbia University (1931). In 1933, she married Verle A. Pope of St. Augustine, later a state senator (1949-1972) and president of the Florida Senate (1967). Her writing career began early. Black Lagoon and Other Verses (1926), her first book, was published while she was still in college, and her first novel, Not Magnolia (1928), the year she graduated. Two additional titles, Old Lady Esteroy (1934), and Half Holiday (1938), were also published under her maiden name Edith Everett Taylor. Her later works Colcorton (1944), River in the Wind (1954), and the juvenile Biggety Chameleon (1946) were authored under the name of Edith Pope. This change of name confused reviewers into believing that her most successful work, Colcorton, was a "first novel."

Correspondence, diaries, notebooks, manuscripts, newspaper clippings, photographs, and memorabilia. The papers, which span 1899-1961, are arranged and described in two series, 1)Correspondence and 2) Manuscripts and Miscellaneous Papers.

The Edith Pope correspondence, dated from 1919 to 1961, includes almost 1400 letters by and to family, friends, editors and publishers, and others. The correspondence is arranged in two groups: Letters by Pope and Letters to Pope. Correspondents include Julia Scribner Bigham, Anna Forbes Liddell, Hardwick Moseley, Max Perkins, Kitty Poole, Orville Prescott, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Charles Scribner, and Owen Young.

The Manuscripts include drafts of her published novels, Colcorton (1944), River in the Wind (1954), and the juvenile book Biggety Chameleon, of the unpublished novel "Well Met at Morning" and her biography of Francis Marion. Also included in the Manuscripts and Miscellaneous Papers series are published and unpublished short stories and poems, autobiographical writings, diaries, newspaper clippings, photographs, and memorabilia.

The letters in the Correspondence series are both filed and described as follows: Letters by Pope (Boxes 1-3) and to Pope (4-10). The letters by Pope are arranged as letters to her father, to her mother, and to others (alphabetically/chronologically). Some letters bear salutations to "Parents," or "Family," and may be filed in either section, depending upon the name on the envelope or other criteria. Letters to Rawlings and others are arranged alphabetically, then chronologically in Box 3. Letters to Pope (Box 4 -10) are filed alphabetically by the name of the writer, then chronologically. A few third party letters are among the letters to Pope. In all lists, letters identifiable only by first name are so-filed. Letters that can not be identified at all are at the end of the lists.

Access

The collection is open to research. Three boxes of correspondence from Verle Pope to Edith Pope are held by the library, but are restricted from all use for an indefinite period of time.

Usage Restrictions

Copyright to this material, with the exception of letters by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings has not been assigned to the University of Florida. Users are responsible for acquiring copyright permission, when required.

Since Edith Pope's letters have never been collected, most of the correspondence is to Pope. Nevertheless the collection includes about 450 letters by her. Approximately three hundred of these are to her parents, Florence and A.M. Taylor, mostly written while Edith was away from home as a student at the Baldwin School, the Florida State College for Women and Columbia University. A number of letters to her father were written by Edith from St. Augustine while he was in Tallahassee attending legislative sessions.

The bulk of the remaining correspondence consists of about 105 letters to Pope's close friend Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings from 1934, before the women actually met, until 1953, the year of Rawlings death. Many of these letters were written during World War II and reflect both women's concern for their husbands overseas. There are also a few war time letters to Verle Pope. The remaining Pope correspondence consists of drafts, copies, and letters that probably were not mailed. They include copies of letters to editor Maxwell Perkins and a number of notes left over from her youth as a student at Baldwin.

The letters by Pope (Boxes 1-3) are arranged as letters to her father, letters to her mother, and letters to others (alphabetically/chronologically). Some letters bear salutations to "Parents," or "Family," and may be filed in either section, depending upon the name on the envelope or other criteria. Letters to Rawlings and others are arranged alphabetically, then chronologically in Box 3. Letters identifiable only by first name are so-filed. Letters that can not be identified at all are at the end.

Pope, Edith T. ALS to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. 1943 December 1. Biloxi. 4p. Verle accepted into combat intelligence; Scribners; MKR's correspondence; her eyelids are better; will stay with the Pooles in New York, while Verle is in intelligence school.

Pope, Edith T. ALS to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. [1950] August 6th. St. Augustine 8pp. Explanation about why she cant accept another dog; her cat; her writing.

3

Pope, Edith T. ALS to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. [1952] April 25th. New York. 3pp. MKR's new manuscript; she and Verle both at Harkness.

3

Pope, Edith T. ALS to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. [1953 August 8? St. Augustine] 4pp. Favorite cat died while she was up north working on book; Peggy and Verle's housekeeping ; a visit and visitors; book coming out.

3

Pope, Edith T. ALS to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. 1953 August 18. Summer. St. Augustine. 12pp. Letter of the 8th still on her desk; gardening; Peggy and Verle; stray dog.

The collection contains approximately 900 letters to Edith Pope, received throughout her life, except for her younger childhood years. The correspondence is heavily personal with many letters from her parents (about 70) and her daughter (about 60), mostly written from Duke University. Many other letters are from friends and relatives, dating back to her preparatory school years and continuing to her death. Literary letters are primarily from her editor, Maxwell Perkins (40 letters), publisher Charles Scribner (8 letter) and other personnel at Scribner's and E. P. Dutton. Letters from individuals such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (about 40) and Julia Scribner Bigham (22) bridge friendship and literature. Her friend Dana Atchley (27 letters) was also one of her physicians. Letters from book reviewer Orville Prescott and his wife, from William G. Dodd, an English professor at the Florida State College for Women, and letters associated with the MacDowell Colony, where Edith was resident in 1944, and with the National League of American Pen Women are of literary interest. Numerous letters and reports were sent to her parents from the Baldwin School.

The most extensive correspondence is from Hardwick Moseley (82 letters; 1924-1958), a youthful suitor who became a lifelong friend; Kitty, or Kitten Poole (82 letters; 1944-1961); and Helen C. "Teen" MacDougal, (75 letters; 1919-1946), apparently a childhood friend from St. Augustine, who moved to Michigan. The girls were reunited at the Baldwin School. Pope corresponded with a number of friends from Baldwin. Many of the letters are so informal that last names never appear. These writers have been identified only by their first names.

One third party letter of interest is from Sir Shane Leslie, expressing interest in visiting St. Augustine, written to Betty Z[immerman?] and forwarded by her to Pope.

Letters to Pope (Boxes 4-10) are filed alphabetically by the name of the writer, then chronologically. A few third party letters are among the letters to Pope. Letters identifiable only by first name are so-filed. Letters that can not be identified at all are at the end.

Ellis, Martha Hodgson. ANS to ETP. [n.d.] ETP like "modest virgin exposed naked." (With this in the folder is an envelope with five line of verse in Ellis's(?) hand. The two items are not intended to together)

5

Ellsworth, "Nurse". Get well card to ETP. 1961 January 3rd. St. Augustine, FL.

5

_____, Esther. ANS to ETP. 1960 October 27th. St. Augustine, FL 1p. Glad to hear she will be home soon.

Moseley, Hardwick. ALS to ETP. 1925 July 23rd. Tampa, FL 5pp. Hiring a stenographer; living wage for women; Phil White; Edith's summer. With this is an ANS to Florine, accepting her invitation to the Chi Omega house.

Nader, Annie. ANS to ETP, written on a get well card. [ca. 1960? St. Augustine?]

7

National League Of American Pen Women. McIlraine, Ethel H. TLS to Vivian Collins. 1940 April 15. Jacksonville 1p. Invitation to meeting of National League of American Pen Women.

7

National League Of American Pen Women. Newman, Agnes Giles. TLS to members. 1944 July 6th. Washington, D.C. 2pp. Duties of State Presidents.

7

National League Of American Pen Women. Haas, Margaret A. ALS to ETP. [1944] July 15th. Jacksonville. Invitation to membership in National League of Pen Women.

7

National League Of American Pen Women. Long, Winifred Offord. ALS to Branch Presidents. 1944 August 8th. St. Petersburg, FL 2pp. Call for contributions to Southern Issue of Pen Women's Association Bulletin.

7

National League Of American Pen Women. Long, Winifred Offord. ALS to ETP. 1944 August 21st. St. Petersburg, FL 2pp. Southern Issue of Bulletin of American Pen Women's Association.

7

National League Of American Pen Women. Long, Winifred D. ALS to ETP. 1944 September 19th. St. Petersburg, FL 2pp. Southern Issue of Bulletin of American Pen Women.

7

National League Of American Pen Women. Ward, Margaret. TLS to ETP. 1944 October 4th. Baltimore. 1p. Would like to have autographed copy of Colcorton as prize for card party.

The Manuscripts include drafts of her published novels, Colcorton (1944), River in the Wind (1954), and the juvenile book Biggety Chameleon, of the unpublished novel "Well Met at Morning" and her biography of Francis Marion. Also included in the Manuscripts and Miscellaneous Papers series are published and unpublished short stories and poems, autobiographical writings, diaries, newspaper clippings, photographs, and memorabilia.

Untitled novel fragment, which includes scene similar to "Where None Pursue." Typed ms., 93 l., with note by N[ike] G[rafstrom] that this was a section of a novel that Pope was considering converting to a short story.

6

39

Untitled novel fragment that appears to be a continuation og #38. Typed ms., 26 p., with 6 leaves of a.ms., and a note from Nike Grafstrom to Verle Pope, March 1, 1961.

Plays

Box

Folder

7

1

"The Birth of the Seasons; a Play for Seven Children." (Juvenile writing by Pope for her and friends).

7

2

"Fortune and Men's Eyes; a Play in four Acts," a.ms., 16 leaves.

Poetry

Box

Folder

7

1

"All That I Write Is Shallow," a.ms., written on envelope, postmarked May 26, 1924.